The Act of Becoming a God
by silkplants
Summary: Alfred is a demigod set on becoming the real thing. Desperate enough to go on a perilous journey, he enlists in Arthur's help, though his friend doesn't have much of a choice. Loosely based on the Odyssey. USUK.
1. Chapter 1

"You want to be a god." Arthur stared at his friend, looking doubtful. "There isn't any way, Alfred." Alfred had come into Arthur's home with an armful of maps and books. He had been prattling on about something a nymph told him, and that he had spent a whole month researching. He dumped the papers before Arthur, still speaking a bit too fast, stumbling over his words.

"There is a way, Art! I could go from half god to full god just like that!" Alfred snapped his fingers to emphasize his point, and turned to Arthur with a broad smile. He began to unroll one of the maps, pointing to a spot in the ocean. Arthur could only guess, and hope, that there was actually land there. Alfred marked the map with a black dot. "We have to go here, Arthur. The gods are keeping a cup of their own divine blood, and whoever should drink it becomes a god themselves. That's going to be me."

He opened up a few of the books, gesturing to passages inside each one. Each message pertained to some sort of Divine Gift. Arthur frowned, still doubtful of his friend, who seemed so hopeful. He already had a hard time with the fact that Alfred was half god to begin with. But Alfred's superhuman strength proved too much to doubt. Alfred claimed he was the son of Berwald, the god of fortitude and reserve. Alfred was strong, but he wasn't silent, so Arthur assumed he got his chattiness from his mother.

Arthur sighed and decided that he'd give Alfred a chance. He said nothing while looking through the stacks of papers and maps, but when he finished, he looked up. "This can't be real, Alfred. I'm sorry." He pointed to various places on the map. "I mean, Alfred- an island of sirens? Horrible beasts in the water and endless storms? Gods, Alfred, your 'Divine Gift' is on an island where one, according to this, never grows old. That's ridiculous. There isn't any point in going and facing disappointment."

At this, Alfred deflated. He shook his head, insisting that it was the real thing. "We could at least go look, Arthur, there isn't any harm in that-"

"There is harm in it, we'd be wasting time and energy trying to get there, plus we'd be risking our lives. Some of this is treacherous territory and you aren't exactly on the Sea goddess's good side." Arthur creased his brow with worry, and began to feel like they were going no matter what he said.

Alfred shook his head, defiant. He stood his ground on the matter, insisting they go and at least check it out. "I can convince Chelles to let us pass, and even if I couldn't you're such a good sailor anyways, we'd be fine!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms up. "C'mon, Arthur, when I'm a god I can give you anything you want. Promise!" So, Alfred had resorted to promises and childishness. Arthur was hardly surprised, but he looked at his friend, and his resolve began to chip away.

Arthur shook his head, tearing his gaze away from Alfred's near begging. This was a terrible idea. He wouldn't have any part of it, no matter how persuasive his friend could be. "Alfred, I won't do it. I won't go with you on this ludicrous quest. I doubt many of the gods want an addition to the family, you might have your father and a minor god or two. But, that's nothing compared to the army of gods and goddesses against you." He crossed his arms, giving a curt nod of finality.

Alfred groaned, and stood, taking Arthur's hands and pulling him upright. "Come on, come on..!" He whined, pushing Arthur towards his sleeping quarters. "Get some of your stuff together, and then we can get your little boat and I'll take care of supplies- Arthur.." Alfred looked down at him, tilting his head. "I can't do this without ya, y'know? So you're going to have to come with me! Please?" Alfred gave Arthur his brightest grin, and stepped back, rocking back and forth on his heels.

At this, Arthur's determination to stay home finally crumbled. He shook his head with a long, drawn out sigh, and went to get a few of his things. "Fine. You've gotten your way. I'll go with you." He rubbed his forehead, looking at Alfred. His eyes narrowed. "You are the worst man I have ever met, with an exception to that love god I met a while ago."

Alfred just smiled and pulled him into a crushing hug. "You're the greatest, Art, I knew I could rely on you! I didn't think you'd kick up such a fuss but I knew you would come around. Besides, you're kinda the only person I know with their own boat." He looked at Arthur with shining blue eyes, and Arthur wasn't so put off by the journey anymore. Arthur even gave a crooked smile, nodding at his friend and stepping out of his overzealous grip.

"Right, right." Arthur sighed, brushing his hair out of his face. "You get the supplies or whatever it was you were going to do..." He waved Alfred off, and packed a few necessities. He threw in the books and maps Alfred had brought over, putting them in his little boat as well.

Arthur sighed, doubting his decision to go with Alfred. After all, home was familiar. Home was safe, at least from some of the gods. Though, Arthur never considered himself a coward, nor did he want other people to. Besides, he couldn't let Alfred go by himself. He'd never forgive himself if that idiot got hurt. So when Alfred came by after a few days, he loaded his supplies onto Arthur's little boat.

It was true to it's name, it was small, and could fit maybe four or five people at the most. Arthur checked the boat over, and then he turned to Alfred once more. "So. We're actually doing this. We're going to make you a god, if all goes well." The blinding smile and nod he got in return confirmed his question. Arthur chuckled under his breath, giving a little nod and boarding his boat. "Well then, Alfred, let's make you a god. Remember your promise, though. Anything I want." he winked, and the ship sailed into the wide expanse of the ocean, soon becoming a black dot in the distance.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur and Alfred drew closer to a small fire, the scraps from their last meal scattered on the ground. They sat on the land, wind howling as they attempted to look at their map. The boat rocked on the waves in the distance, Arthur keeping an eye on it.

"Where, exactly, are we to go next?" He asked, holding the map down so it wouldn't blow away in the wind. Alfred looked over the map, pointing out a small island. "So that's the divine gift there, on that island. But there's a ton of shit in the way so we're gonna have to be careful. The best way to go about this is making a slight detour to the left to avoid all this in the middle." Alfred traced his designed route down the map, glancing up at Arthur.

Arthur inspected the route, and giving a small nod of approval, smiled. "I suppose it could work. This god's blood had better be all you're expecting and more, as this will be quite the task." Alfred only grinned and nodded, completely sure of himself.

Arthur and Alfred set out again the next morning, not long after the sun had come up. Arthur navigated the waters, following the map exactly. As they sailed, the sky grew dark and the water grew rough, lapping at the sides of the boat with more and more power. Arthur frowned as he looked at Alfred, who was looking around as well. "Are you sure about this direction, Alfred?" He asked, spinning the wheel. "Perhaps we'd be better off going back?" Though when he looked behind himself, the water and skies were just as rough for as far as he could see.

"We can't now, Arthur, we've been in here too long." Alfred called up, cupping his hands around his mouth to help the sound travel. The ship groaned under the strain, veering to the side. Arthur stumbled, flailing his arms about to keep from falling over. The ship began to lurch to the other side, and this time Arthur did fall.

He slid across the ship and hit the railing, holding on to it to keep from tumbling out. The boat was still moving, but it was slowing down, and soon it came to a complete stop. Arthur was slow about getting to his feet, and he looked over the rail as the ship started to rock again. What seemed like hundreds of hands were pushing the ship back and forth, keeping it from going forward. Arthur's eyes widened as he fell back again, going to the other side. Looking over the edge, he found hands on that side of the ship, too.

"Alfred!" He called out, finding his companion holding onto the railing for dear life. "What is this?"

As Alfred faced him, Arthur saw that his face was stark white, and his eyes were wide. Alfred only shook his head, unable to provide and answer.

As the assault went on, Arthur fought back the only way he could. He threw a few small objects at them, but it didn't deter them for long, and soon the rocking grew faster. And then there were arms, climbing up the sides of the ship. Then faces. Horrific, identical beasts climbing out of the water, teeth gnashing as they ascended. Their sharp nails dug into the wood, though they didn't have legs to assist in the climbing. Instead, there were tails, long and winding, that hung as dead weight as the monsters climbed. Arthur and Alfred stood near each other now, and backed into each other as the beasts encircled them.

"Chelles!" Alfred cried out, desperate as he wrapped an arm around Arthur, trying to keep him out of harm's way. After a few more seconds, the monsters stopped. It was clear they still wanted nothing more than to tear Alfred and Arthur apart, but they wouldn't move.

One of them reached for Arthur's ankle, it's expression desperate and needy. But, the second it touched Arthur, it's fingers dissolved to sand and fell away. It drew its arm back, screeching.

As the rest of the creatures began to shift from side to side, water began bubbling up around the ship. Waves formed stairs, and a girl that looked like she could be a teenager began walking towards the ship.

"Alfred!" She exclaimed, grinning. "I didn't think you would ever ask for my help." The girl smiled and rocked back and forth on her heels. She wore a flowing, sleeveless dress that faded from deep ocean blue to shocking white. Shells and plants adorned it, and she wore a shimmering circlet around her head. Though she looked childish, she gave off a sense of incredible intelligence.

Alfred sighed, and took a step back. "Yeah, I know what I said, just get your goldfish away from me and my friend-!" He shouted, voice cracking with distress.

She sighed and snapped her fingers, and the creatures scuttled back into the ocean. "Weeeelll, normally I wouldn't do this, especially after what you said to me last time. But, you've brought Arthur along. And I don't want to have to deal with the others if I get him killed." Arthur furrowed his brow, his expression making a change from panicked to confused. "But why-" He started, and the sea goddess cut him off.

"You'll see later!" She laughed, turning to Arthur with a bright grin. "Anyways, Alfred, you owe me a favor, 'kay? I'll see you both later." She walked towards the railing and waved to them both. Chelles then hopped over the side, landing in the water with a splash. Arthur went to the railing and stared after her, bewildered and feeling like he was at a loss. He bent over the side, staring a moment longer and then inching away.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to Alfred, whose expression was uncharacteristically grim. "I thought I could keep you out of danger and I almost got you killed. I promise, I won't fail again." Arthur didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded. They left the area, Chelles' words still echoing in Arthur's mind.


End file.
